Vibration isolation systems are employed in a wide variety of applications to minimize the transmission of disturbances forces between two bodies or structures. For example, satellite are often equipped with vibration isolation systems to minimize the transmission of vibratory forces emitted from attitude adjustment devices (e.g., control moment gyroscopes or reaction wheels) to other vibration-sensitive components (e.g., optical payloads) carried by the satellite. The performance of a vibration isolation system is largely determined by the number of isolators included within the system, the manner in which the isolators are arranged, and the vibration attenuation characteristics of each individual isolator. Vibration isolation systems employing three parameter isolators, which behave mechanically as a primary spring in parallel with a series-coupled secondary spring and damper, provide superior attenuation of high frequency vibratory forces as compared to vibration isolation systems employing other types of passive isolators, such as viscoelastic isolators. An example of a three parameter isolator is the D-STRUT® isolator developed and commercially marketed by Honeywell, Inc., currently headquartered in Morristown, N.J. Such isolators are often single Degree of Freedom (DOF), axially-damping devices well-suited for usage within multi-point mounting arrangements.
By conventional design, three parameter isolators are often imparted with a relatively length, cylindrical or strut-like form factor. As a result, the usage of three parameter isolators may be precluded by packaging constraints in instances wherein a relatively limited distance is provided between isolator mount points. While it may be possible to extend the distance between the mount points by system redesign, this solution is less than ideal and may negatively impact overall system performance; e.g., system redesign may result in wider mode spread, less attenuation at a given frequency or frequencies, and/or an undesirable increase in isolator loads and strokes. As an alternative solution, the isolation system can be built using low profile viscoelastic mounts having generally puck-shaped form factors. However, the usage of viscoelastic mounts in place of three parameter isolators typically requires a tradeoff in the performance of the isolation system. Moreover, the damping and stiffness characteristics of viscoelastic mounts typically vary in a non-linear manner with changes in temperature and load, which can render viscoelastic mount-based isolation systems more difficult to design and predict and less effective at attenuating vibrations over a wide frequency range.
There thus exists an ongoing need to provide embodiment of a low profile three parameter isolator, which has a reduced length or height and which is well-suited for usage within an isolation system capable of proving high fidelity damping and stiffness in six degrees of freedom. Ideally, such a low profile three parameter isolator would be readily manufacturable, durable, lightweight, and characterized by a relatively low part count. It would also be desirable for such a three parameter isolator to provide damping and stiffness properties that vary in a substantially linear manner with changes in load and temperature. Finally, it would be desirable to provide embodiments of an isolation system including one or more low profile three parameter isolators having the foregoing characteristics. Other desirable features and characteristics of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent Detailed Description and the appended Claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing Background.